George Brown III, Director, UCLA Alumni Scholarships Program
Gets Real About Scholars, Volunteers and the Future of the Program

An oft-stated expression of general advice reads, “Choose a job you love and you will never work a day in your life.” Undoubtedly, George Brown works a job where the hours extend beyond an eight-to-five commitment. He states, “Seventeen years ago, I had no idea the journey I was about to take when accepting the position working with Scholarships. I did so because it was work that felt good. Little did I know that it was going to become such an important part of my life.”

By the same token, some might say, little did anyone know that George Brown would become the resounding heartbeat of this proud program, but longtime scholarship associates would disagree, whispering, “Roz knew.” Roz Scherer ’76, a Gold Shield alumnae and beloved director of student relations who guided the alumni program from 2000-2007 with a deep, enduring commitment to students recognized the light within Brown. Scherer groomed him to not just follow in her footsteps, but to surpass her and forge his own path in powerful and tangible ways.

Over the course of 17 years many people, policies and technologies have come and gone in the Alumni Scholars Program, bringing change both subtle and great; values defined, refined and strengthened and through it all Brown has been and continues to be a pillar of strength poised and able to lead the program into UCLA’s second century.

George talks about where the program started and its mission
The alumni scholarship program started in 1936 with two awards of $150 apiece. And throughout the years it has grown to where it is now; supporting more than 635 students for a total of about $1.5 million in annual support. We went from a program that supported students for one year of education to a program that supports students the whole time they're at UCLA. Incoming freshmen receive a four-year award and transfer students, two. Nothing feels better than being able to give worthy students financial support so they can continue their education.

What it takes to become an Alumni Scholar
Alumni Scholars is a merit-based program. Everyone who gets into UCLA has a strong GPA and test scores, and is very accomplished academically. We focus our efforts on students that have excelled through extracurricular activities, volunteering and community service in hopes that those behaviors will continue while they're here at UCLA, and that they will have a desire to stay involved with UCLA once they've graduated.

What separates the alumni scholarship program from other scholarships
As a public institution, we can't offer the same levels of support that our private competitors can. But what we can do is to build a sense of community for students. We don't just award students and leave them. We involve and engage them throughout their time here at UCLA, and we do that in the form of the Alumni Scholars Club. Every student that's selected automatically becomes a member. And to ensure that students experience all that the club offers they are required to complete 30 hours of service within the community during the year.

Some of the ways Alumni Scholars give back
• Service projects both at UCLA and in the Los Angeles community.
• Services for at-risk middle schools in Los Angeles where we send UCLA students to work on after-school programming.
• School beautification projects.
• Give tours of UCLA to inner city school kids.

Benefits for Scholars
Although the scholarship program started in 1936 the Alumni Scholars Club didn't begin until the mid-'70s and it was really focused on social aspects to bring scholarship recipients together to build community and have fun. There wasn't a leadership development component and there wasn't a large focus on connecting student recipients with alumni. I see this as the future of ASC, creating more valuable experiences between students and alumni.

And with our access to a network of alumni we can offer a wide variety of programming and opportunities for students to meet with alumni. We encourage students to start developing their alumni network while they're here at UCLA so they are prepared and positioned once they graduate, to either go on to graduate school or go out into the workforce.

For many of our student recipients, their circle of friends comes from this organization and from relationships that they've developed through this program. And a lot of times, students don't realize the value of this program before they get involved in it. When they're making the decision to come to UCLA, the money is what entices them. But once they get here they realize the value and importance of the Alumni Scholars Club which helps them build a community, and takes a large institution and makes it small.

What’s in it for alumni volunteers
The interesting thing is alumni have a huge desire to connect with students and help them through their UCLA experience. Reading applications, interviewing students, mentoring, advising and becoming a part of this program gives you hope for our future. In a time when there is so much turmoil going on in the world and so many things are unclear, it feels good to know that there are people in the pipeline of our future that are going to change the course of the world. Students who are intelligent, who want to give back, who care and have a better understanding than many of us do. It is fulfilling to know that their education and thought development is happening here at UCLA and that their biggest dream is to be where you once were.

I want to be an alumni volunteer
Simply go to our website and create a profile. Tell us what you want to do and we will reach out to you at appropriate times to get you involved. There are opportunities to engage with students from every walk and background even beyond incoming students.

• The True Bruin Distinguished Senior Award allows you to meet students who have nearly completed their UCLA journey and are doing amazing things.
• Get involved with community college transfer students. They come from a very different set of circumstances than many of our incoming freshman. Some of them have had to work. Some of them have families. Many of them are non-traditional students. Every student can benefit from your wisdom and support.

What else can we do?
Our award amounts need to increase. UCLA continues to become more expensive, and while the award in 1936 was $150, it held more value compared to the cost of education than our local-level scholarship at $4,000 over four years does now. If we're going to continue to have impact on recruiting students, we must increase our endowment and provide larger scholarships. We don't want to just provide larger awards by cutting down the number of students that we support. We want to be able to continue to fund approximately 175 new students each year in addition to sustaining current students. There are many ways to give.Upgrade your membership and become a Blue, Gold or Gold Legacy member of the Alumni Association and point your gift toward Alumni Scholarships. Or, invest in students and transform the trajectory of their lives by finding ways to give here.

What he wants former ASC Scholars to know
I would say that recent grads, scholars who have graduated within the last 10 years, tend to be more involved than alumni scholars in years past. And I think the reason why is that over the last 10 years, we've made a concentrated effort to develop students in a way that is more meaningful and makes a bigger impact on their lives. If I could communicate any message to graduated alumni scholars, it would be that this is an opportunity for you to care as much for others as someone cared about you. We need your continued participation or the program is not going to have the impact that you felt when you were a student at UCLA.

When asked how the program has impacted him personally
Some of my dearest friends are from this program, scholarship volunteers who have given their time, talent and treasure to this program have been by my side through marriage, baby showers and funerals. The work was our link to each other and my life has been enriched by the friendships.

The students have an impact that is hard to sum up in a few words. You never realize the influence you have in someone’s life when it’s happening. Having been involved with Alumni Scholarships for so many years I see graduated alumni scholars that now have families of their own, and to know that in some small way that we were part of their UCLA experience gives me the energy to come to work every day.

Most of the time it doesn’t even feel like work….that’s when you know you’re where you are supposed to be.

And there it is, an adage come to life and a path properly chosen. A man with a beautiful family of his own on which he dotes, Brown still has the heart capacity to respond to an anxious student at three in the morning as a scholarship deadline approaches because he knows that they need him. He gives equally to students and volunteers allowing each group to understand the commitment to the program they share.

Angela Scales, Senior Director, Bruin Connections sums up Brown and his impact on the program, “I see George’s passion for the program in the students that come back to campus as alumni and make a point of stopping by his office to see him and share what they’re doing. George was a part of their journey from Welcome Week with ASC to graduation festivities. He cheered them on and provided support with professional development, alumni connections or simply as a friend when they were struggling.

I’ve listened to George counsel a student about the challenges they face at home and how to balance those struggles with their schoolwork. At a huge school like UCLA, many students feel lost and overwhelmed. George makes the James West Alumni Center their home and helps to guide them as they find their way. And for those who want to be more involved, he grooms them as leaders and gives them room to run their own events and programs. There’s a reason why graduated Alumni Scholars jump at the chance to come back and support the program or speak at events – because George asked them to. They want to give back to a program that gave them so much. George embodies that connection they feel to UCLA and to ASC. He goes that extra mile to help each student find their own path at UCLA and ensures that they understand the part alumni played in making it possible.”